bryson662001
06-28-2008, 02:19 AM
Standing-room only rides draw groans on SEPTA
Transit agency adds NJ Transit cars to alleviate problem
by brian x. mccrone / metro philadelphia
JUN 27, 2008
Tony Daddario usually works later in the day to avoid having to take the 5:20 p.m. or 5:40 p.m. R6 train back to Conshohocken. Leaving earlier Thursday meant standing on his ride home.
"I usually catch the 6:07 or later for this reason," he said of the packed Regional Rail car. "What are you going to do?”
Riders of several regional rail lines have been dealing with standing-room only rush hour commutes in the last year and the number of riders continues to grow, according to SEPTA statistics.
The SEPTA Board Thursday approved a two-year, $240,000 lease of 10 rail cars from NJ Transit until they receive a shipment of new cars late next year. They currently have 350 rail cars and the new order will increase their fleet to about 400 by the end of the decade, officials have said.
Ridership in May this year was 12 percent greater than ridership in May 2007, SEPTA budget director Richard Burnfield told the transit agency’s governing body Thursday. Regional rail ridership for the first half of the year is up 11 percent.
With steady state funding in place for the first time in a generation, SEPTA has already increased the number of trains per hour on a couple of the busiest Regional Rail lines.
Until the new batch of cars come, though some riders will continue to stand — especially if more commuters ditch their cars for the cheaper public transit option like Brendan Bell of East Falls.
“I was driving to work for three and a half years,” Bell said. “I figured out that gas was costing $400 to $500 a month. My monthly pass should only cost $100 or so. Apparently, I’m going to have to stand for that.”
Transit agency adds NJ Transit cars to alleviate problem
by brian x. mccrone / metro philadelphia
JUN 27, 2008
Tony Daddario usually works later in the day to avoid having to take the 5:20 p.m. or 5:40 p.m. R6 train back to Conshohocken. Leaving earlier Thursday meant standing on his ride home.
"I usually catch the 6:07 or later for this reason," he said of the packed Regional Rail car. "What are you going to do?”
Riders of several regional rail lines have been dealing with standing-room only rush hour commutes in the last year and the number of riders continues to grow, according to SEPTA statistics.
The SEPTA Board Thursday approved a two-year, $240,000 lease of 10 rail cars from NJ Transit until they receive a shipment of new cars late next year. They currently have 350 rail cars and the new order will increase their fleet to about 400 by the end of the decade, officials have said.
Ridership in May this year was 12 percent greater than ridership in May 2007, SEPTA budget director Richard Burnfield told the transit agency’s governing body Thursday. Regional rail ridership for the first half of the year is up 11 percent.
With steady state funding in place for the first time in a generation, SEPTA has already increased the number of trains per hour on a couple of the busiest Regional Rail lines.
Until the new batch of cars come, though some riders will continue to stand — especially if more commuters ditch their cars for the cheaper public transit option like Brendan Bell of East Falls.
“I was driving to work for three and a half years,” Bell said. “I figured out that gas was costing $400 to $500 a month. My monthly pass should only cost $100 or so. Apparently, I’m going to have to stand for that.”
